McMahon-St. Joseph at a glance

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Game Night

Class LL State Tournament

Quaterfinals

No. 7 Brien McMahon (18-5) at No. 2 St. Joseph (20-2)

How they got here: McMahon defeated No. 26 Newtown 64-43 in the first round and No. 10 Wilbur Cross 57-51 in the second round; St. Joseph had a bye in the first round and defeated No. 18 Stamford 52-50 in the second round.

On the horizon: The winner will meet the survivor of No. 14 Glastonbury (16-6) and No. 11 Westhill (18-6) in the semifinals next Tuesday at a site and time yet to be determined.

Head-to-head: St. Joseph defeated McMahon 58-52 during the only regular-season meeting on Feb. 3 in Norwalk.

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Streaks: McMahon has lost six straight against St. Joseph.

Tournament history: This is McMahon's first trip to the state quarterfinals since 2004-05 when the Senators lost to Hand of Madison in the Division II tournament. The Senators are seeking their first appearance in the semifinals since 1999-2000 when they lost to Holy Cross. The Cadets are in the quarterfinals for the second straight season after beating East Hartford 74-65 last season then losing to Hillhouse in the semifinals.

Coaches corner: St. Joseph head coach Vito Montelli is in his 48th season as head coach. He has won 850 career games. McMahon head coach Mo Tomlin is in his fourth season.

Second chances: Both teams are looking for redemption in the states after bowing out of the FCIAC tournament in the first round. Westhill nipped McMahon 77-75 while No. 8 Trinity Catholic toppled the top-seeded Cadets 64-62.

Quotable: "Friday's going to be fun. How often do you get a rematch with a team you really and truly want? Lo and behold, here we are with another chance. It means more than it did the first time, and my kids are ready for the challenge." -- McMahon head coach Mo Tomlin.

Outlook: McMahon is a much different team than it was the last time it met St. Joseph. Since then, the Senators have added Tate and Azulphar, giving McMahon great length and power in the paint. McMahon has also cranked up its defensive intensity behind the backcourt of Langley and McCrae and Shular is finally looking healthy again after struggling with an injured knee for three games. After ripping through the regular season with one loss, the Cadets suddenly look very beatable, getting knocked off by a young Trinity Catholic team in the FCIAC playoffs then barely surviving its first round game against Stamford. The second time could be a charm for McMahon.